Read Excelsior for Free Online Page A

Confederacy’s head of state, Chancellor Wang Ping himself. Alexander recognized the control room where the Chancellor was standing as being aboard Tianlong (Heavenly Dragon) Station, which was the Confederate equivalent of Orbital One.
     
    “Admiral Flores,” Wang Ping began.
     
    “Your Excellency,” she replied.
     
    “If your government has access to a wormhole, then we regret to inform you that the Space and ExtraTerrestrial Colonies Treaty, which you cited for the Alliance’s territorial claim, will need to be renegotiated. The Confederacy sees wormhole technology as a threat to our sovereignty, and if your government has developed such technology, then they would do well to resolve this threat by sharing their discoveries with us.”
     
    “In exchange for what, Your Excellency?” Admiral Flores looked furious, but Alexander could see she was trying hard to keep a lid on it.
     
    Wang ping offered a smug smile. “We would be more than happy to share our advances in anti-gravity in exchange for your understanding of wormhole technology.”
     
    Alexander smirked. One fictitious technology for another.
     
    “One moment please, Chancellor. It would be better if you were to discuss this directly with my government.”
     
    “I think so too, yes.”
     
    Flores’ transmission froze once more, but this time it was replaced by a waiting screen with the Alliance flag. Soon after that, the Confederate transmission also went to a waiting screen with their flag. Minutes passed. Alexander distracted himself by studying the two flags—the Alliance’s was essentially a map of their half of the Earth, with their member states shown in white on a dark blue backdrop. The Americas and Europe were marked, along with a few dozen islands at larger-than-life scale. Each member state had a gold star in its center, for a total of sixty-seven stars.
     
    The Confederate flag, on the other hand, was solid red with a yellow dragon in the top-left corner, which signified Tianlong Station and the Confederacy’s claim to having built the world’s first space elevator. The rest of the flag was made up of yellow stars. Just like the Alliance flag, there was one for each member state, but their stars were laid out in a hammer-and-sickle pattern.
     
    The waiting screens remained in place. How long had it been? Five minutes? Ten? Maybe they weren’t allowed to see the negotiations going forward.
     
    But then, to his surprise, the waiting screens disappeared, and rather than Admiral Flores on the right, this time they saw President Ryan Baker of the Alliance.
     
    “Chancellor Wang Ping,” Baker said, nodding. The chancellor’s transmission returned a few seconds later, and President Baker smiled. “It’s a pleasure to speak with you again, Your Excellency.”
     
    “Yes,” Wang Ping agreed after a slight transmission delay.
     
    President Baker went on, “Our intelligence suggests that your government has not achieved any more understanding of the technology you are offering us than what we have of the same. Therefore, you have nothing to trade us for our wormhole technology.”
     
    “Ah, yes, just as our intelligence suggests that the Alliance does not have the technology to create stable wormholes.”
     
    “And we haven’t. Not a traversable one, anyway.”
     
    “Do not lie to me, Baker. We have watched you send your probes.”
     
    If he was surprised the Confederates knew about that, to his credit, President Baker didn’t show it. “None of those probes returned,” he explained.
     
    “Yet they transmitted data from the other side,” Wang Ping replied.
     
    Alexander frowned. He was about to order his comm officer to cut off the transmission. There was no way they had the clearance to watch this. There had to be some mistake. Then again—Flores had given them permission.
     
    Baker appeared to confer with someone off-screen. They didn’t hear the conversation, but a moment later he turned back to face the